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Keto Spaghetti Bolognese Bake
Don’t worry – you can still enjoy the taste of spaghetti without all those pesky carbs. Try this Keto spaghetti bolognese bake the next time you’re in the mood for pasta!
Marinara vs. Bolognese
I think one of the distinguishing characteristics of adulthood is realizing that there is more than one kind of red pasta sauce.
For example, marinara is not bolognese, which is not pizza sauce. Gone are the days of college, where red sauces can be used interchangeably without care.
These days, with your sophisticated palette, you can appreciate the finer points of pasta sauce. That’s not to say it’s wrong to make whatever you have handy work in a pinch.
No, the difference now is that you realize you’re going to get a slightly runny pizza if you use marinara on top of your almond-flour crust.
So what is the difference between marinara and bolognese?
Many distinguish bolognese from marinara because the latter doesn’t include meat. But that definition gets a little fuzzy when you find instances of “meat marinara” on shelves and menus.
Bolognese is really meaty. The proportion of meat and sauce is totally different than a marinara sauce.
Bolognese is heavy on the meat, light on the sauce. Most marinaras don’t include meat at all, and the ones that do include it as an accessory rather than the main feature.
Marinara is typically enjoyed over thin strands of spaghetti, while bolognese pairs well with a thicker, more ribbon-like noodle.
Creating bolognese is typically quite a production. In addition to meat, the sauce can contain wine, milk or cream, tomato paste, and soffritto, which is onion, celery, and carrot.
Getting it right can be a lengthy undertaking.
How to Make this Keto
Making this bolognese Keto is pretty simple. The major factor in this dish isn’t the sauce – it’s the “pasta” that serves as the foundation.
For this dish, I went with zucchini to sub for grain-based pasta. You can use a peeler to get long, flat strands, or a spiralizer, which will get you closer to spaghetti.
I also left out the dairy element that is often present in bolognese. It’s not necessary, and the omission is helpful for the many people who don’t tolerate dairy well.
More Keto Pasta
If you’re like me, you just can’t get enough Italian food. And I’m not about to let my Keto diet stand in the way of great-tasting foods.
Check out my must-read guide to the best Keto pasta. You’ll find tips and tricks for getting around the dreaded strike on noodles, as well as many other great Keto recipes to try.
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Description
A meaty, sure-to-please “pasta”
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (900 g) of ground beef
- 1 cup (32 g) fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) avocado oil, to cook with
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 can (400 g) diced tomatoes
- 1/2 can (200 g) tomato sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced or minced
- 2 zucchinis, spiralized or shredded or peeled into long noodle-like strands
- Extra basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Add the avocado oil to a hot pan and brown the beef and onions.
- Add into a large baking dish with the rest of the ingredients (except the zucchinis).
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Then carefully stir in the zucchini noodles, let sit for 5 minutes, and serve.
Notes
All nutritional data are estimated and based on per serving amounts.
Net Carbs: 5 g
Nutrition
- Calories: 392
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fat: 31 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 20 g
Prep Time:
Yield:
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